The mind is an incredibly powerful force, and PGA Master Professional Alison Curdt knows exactly how to use her knowledge of the mind to heal traumatised fellow athletes. In addition to being the youngest woman in the Professional Golfers’ Association of America to reach the coveted status of PGA Master Professional, Curdt is also a doctor of psychiatry and practicing psychotherapist. Discover more about this multi-talented woman’s life and professional strategy.

A Taste for Competition

According to Curdt, her life philosophy has a lot to do with asking “Why?” and even more to do with asking “Why not?” Why not become the first woman in the Southern California PGA section to compete in the PGA Professional Championship? Why not pursue a doctorate at the same time?

Curdt’s affinity for golf started early on. She excelled in sports in high school and improved her golk game by competing with her brother. Eventually she received a golf scholarship to Florida State University. In addition to the golf competitions, her time at university was spent working on her degree in psychology.

Curdt’s plan was always to become a forensic psychologist. She says, “I wanted to work for the FBI. I really wanted to track serial killers.” However, the rigorous path to becoming a forensic psychologist would have meant neglecting her golf career, so she decided to scale back her studies in psychology. She became a professional golfer and instructor in Palm Springs, California.

Tragedy and Rebirth

Just a couple of years after her move to Palm Springs, Curdt’s condo was completely destroyed. Her neighbour, attempting to grow marijuana, had caused an electrical fire in the building and burned down eight units. Curdt lost everything, including the trophies she had earned over the years.

“I was certainly fortunate not to have been inside at the time,” Curdt says. “It opened up my eyes to where I was in life. I looked upon the symbol of the Phoenix, and used it as my inspiration.”

She went on teaching, moving up to a prominent position at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. After earning her record-breaking status as a young female PGA Master Professional, Curdt decided to finish her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. She started her own practice, Curdt Performance Therapy.

Athletic Trauma and Treatment

Opening her private practice gave Curdt the chance to focus on “athletic trauma,” which is usually triggered by a specific event or series of occurrences. “Something occurred in the art of performance that elicited an overwhelming response in your system, whether it’s embarrassment, or shame or ‘I’m not good enough,'” Curdt explains. “Because that memory is so stark, and that experience was so intense, it stored in your memory in a dysfunctional way. Because of that, it now serves as a trigger in the present day.” This type of trauma can cripple an athlete’s mental outlook, affecting their future performances.

One of Curdt’s preferred methods for treating this kind of trauma is eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR. It’s a technique aimed at softening the mental and emotional impact of memories. According to Curdt, EMDR helps patients take hold of that specific memory, process it, and store it differently, so that it is no longer debilitating.

Don’t underestimate the important of good mental health in Singapore! Without it, your career, relationships, and personal enjoyment of life may suffer. If you suspect you have a disorder or depression in Singapore, call Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic today to set up your first appointment at our private offices.